Pink Pepper

Pink pepper (or Schinus molle) is not true pepper but the dried berry of the Peruvian peppertree. Its essential oil smells of bright, rosy, slightly resinous spice — closer to a floral-spicy note than a kitchen spice. Pink pepper has become the default 'modern' opening in niche perfumery: it's in Le Labo Santal 33, Byredo Gypsy Water, and dozens of perfumers' top notes since 2010. It pairs cleanly with citrus, woods, and rose without the heat of black pepper.